Cthulhu Unbound
''Cthulhu Unbound'' Cthulhu Unbound was published on March 30 2009. It was edited by John Sunseri and Thom Brannan. The volume is a "cross-genre" anthology, telling Lovecraft-inspired comedies, space opera, hardboiled noir, etc. Cover art by Cyril Van Der Haegen. Contents and Story Synopsis (Story synopsis by the authors) *"Noir-lathotep" by Linda Donahue Nyarlathotep, the Outer God of 1000 aspects, known as the Crawling Chaos, the Black Man, or sometimes just Devil. Woken from his slumbers in the chaotic ether that surrounds Azathoth the Idiot God, Nyarlathotep feels the death of one of his aspects. In Film Noir style, complete with black & white setting, he solves his own murder... *"The Invasion Out of Time" by Trent Roman In the distant future,fighter pilots wage an unceasing battle against ancient and powerful alien creatures for the fate of the planet. Now, a risky stratagem could finally see the elder things defeated... or spell disaster for humanity's defenders. *"James and the Dark Grimoire" by Kevin Lauderdale Think H.P. Lovecraft by way of P.G. Wodehouse. Young man-about-town Reggie Brubaker is spending the weekend at a country estate when his aunt dragoons him into stealing a rare and ancient book...it's up to his trusty valet James to save the day. *"Hellstone and Brimfire" by Doug Goodman There's a saying in Texas: One riot, one ranger. But if your problem's with Mi-Go, you need a different kind of Ranger. And you might want something extra. Like Hellstones and Brimfire. *"Star Crossed" by Bennet Reilly Shub-Niggurath, Outer Goddess and estranged wife of the Not-to-be-Named-One, is feeling her biological clock starting to tick. After eons of waiting the stars are finally right for her and Hastur to try to work out their marital troubles. Can these two former lovers reignite the flames of their lost love, or will Shub-Niggurath be forever unfulfilled in her role as the Dark Mother? *"The Covenant" by Kim Paffenroth Presented here for the first time is a lost chapter of Herman Melville's classic novel Moby-Dick. The piece offers shocking substantiation of Melville's claim that he had "written a wicked book." *"The Hindenburg Manifesto" by Lee Clark Zumpe An opponent of Hitler’s Nazi regime abandons his homeland carrying crucial information only to be mortally wounded upon his arrival in America. Led by an American cryptologist, a ragtag organization must face German agents and homegrown dissidents in an effort to recover and unravel the mystery of the Hindenburg manifesto. *"In Our Darkest Hour" by Steven Graham *"Blood Bags and Tentacles" by D.L. Snell Strange creatures have overrun Earth, and in Portland, Oregon, the survivors have holed up in a hotel. When Shaun Adams banishes himself, his brother Ryan must brave Portland's Shanghai Tunnels to bring him back. But something prowls the underground passageways, something with tentacles, and now Shaun's life isn't the only one at stake. *"Bubba Cthulhu's Last Stand" by Lisa Hilton A bitter unicorn must face his own darkness in order to defeat the beer-swilling Bubba Cthulhu and his clan *"Turf" by Richard D. Moore On the surface Turf seems to fit the mold of any other London gangland thriller—until things turn weird that is.... Think the Mythos meets Get Carter, The Long Good Friday, Sexy Beast, and you'll have an idea of where I went with the story. *"The Menagerie" by Ben Thomas *"The Patriot" by John Goodrich A dying soldier receives a macabre history lesson in the corpse-strewn trenches of World War One. *"The Shadow over Las Vegas" by John Claude Smith A savage journey into the heart of Lovecraftian terror; a drug-fueled, gonzo journalistic joyride into the blackened soul of Las Vegas... *"Locked Room" by CJ Henderson Supernatural sleuth Anton Zarnak goes into his office and locks the door behind him. When his servant checks on him later, he finds that Zarnak has vanished without a trace. Can the bizarre and inexplicable machinations of a man of magic be solved by ordinary constables? Join New York City police lieutenant Mark Thorner and New Orleans inspector of police John Raymond Legrasse as they attempt to solve this impossible conundrum. ''Cthulhu Unbound 2'' Cthulhu Unbound 2 was published on July 31, 2009. It was edited by John Sunseri and Thom Brannan. The volume is a “cross-genre” anthology, telling Lovecraft-inspired stories that are comedies, space operas, hardboiled noir, etc. Cover art by Michael Dashow. Contents and Story Synopsis (Story synopsis by the authors) *"Passing Down" by Inez Schaechterle Nick Mahoney, top trigger man for a Denver whiskey gang, learned cool at his daddy’s knee. Twenty years after fleeing his father’s violent madness, he learns it's his mother's past that will twist his mind, body, and future beyond all recognition. *"The Tenants of Ladywell Manor" by Willie Meikle *"The Hunters Within the Corners" by Douglas P. Wojtowicz A mad sorcerer has drawn the attention of the Hound of Tindalos. Now, the only thing keeping an innocent nun and a dozen homeless men from being destroyed in the crossfire is a faceless avenger named Skaramine... *"Surely You Joust" by Patrick Thomas In the days of Camelot, Sir Dagonet and Merlin's twin sister are sent to investigate whispers of dark magic on a neighboring island kingdom. The local king dismisses the pair as a fool and a woman, forgetting that even a jester must earn his place as a knight of the Round Table. Dagonet assumes the worst of his problems will be surviving an aerial joust on the back of a winged byakhee, unaware the king is preparing human sacrifices and that Father Dagon isn't a priest... *"References in Cthonic, Eldritch, Roiling Creations are Recondite" by Warren Tusk On a lonely barren cliff, in a world ravaged by its ordained cosmic doom, two old friends meet to discuss philosophy. Reality is an Eternal Ghoulish Braid. *"New Fish" by Kiwi Courters If I'da told you life on the Rock was all about the screws breathin down your neck and cons in the yard lookin to shiv you, you mighta thought it couldn't get no worse. But a new con with damp skin, fishy eyes and big lips woulda proved you wrong. *"Tomb on a Dead Moon" by Tim Curran *"The Long, Deep Dream" by Peter Clines In the Depression years of Los Angeles, second-rate gumshoe Bill Barnett is pleased to get a missing-persons case, but he's about to discover that some things in the city should stay missing... *"Santiago Contra el Culto de Cthulhu" by Mark Zirbel *"Stomach Acid" by David Conyers and Brian M. Sammons In the heart of the Amazonian rainforests Major Peel is blackmailed when a human agent of an alien species compromises his life expectancy. The only way that Peel can live beyond a single day is to turn against the American agent who hired him (code-named JORDAN) to act against the very menace that now controls Peel. *"Sleeping Monster Futures" by Brandon Alspaugh In his financial markets man has finally created something incomprehensible, ineffable, and as indifferent to his whims as the oldest of the Old Ones. Caitlin Rice is only the latest to be slaved to their peculiar appetites. *"Nemo at R'lyeh" by Joshua Reynolds It is 1888 and the Nautilus surfaces in a spray of steam and dead fish. Before it lies an island that should not exist. Strange-angled structures scrape the starry sky and the croaking of inhuman throats echoes even in the steel-walled chambers of Captain Nemo's amazing vessel. Now the man with no country save the sea must confront one of the most hideous secrets his beloved oceans hold and try to retain what remains of his sanity in the process. *"What's a Few Tentacles Among Friends?" by Sheila Crosby When the mighty Cthulhu fancies a cruise, you have to pity the poor monster sent to organize the ship. He's got no money, no connections and precious little time. Oh, and he hasn't got a clue how to get along with these humans. They're weird! *"An Incident Occurring in the Huachuca Mountains, West of Tombstone" by Gary Vehar Before the OK Corral made them famous, Wyatt Earp and his brothers learn that the Wild West holds far worse terrors than outlaws and Apache warriors. An ancient magic calls down a force far beyond the abilities of Tombstone's most famous gunslinger, and he must bring in the U.S. Army to restore order. But the Army seems to have had some experience in the matter already... *"Abomination With Rice" by Rhys Hughes During WW2 the neutral city of Lisbon was a hotbed of intrigues, conspiracies, espionage, spying and counter-spying. An ancient book has been discovered that can unleash a power that might allow the Nazis to win the war quickly. But conjuring up a cosmic octopus monster and fitting it with pulse jet engines is a risky business at the best of times! ''Cthulhu Unbound 3'' Cthulhu Unbound 3 is to be released. It was edited by David Conyers and Brian M. Sammons. The collection features four novella-length Cthulhu Mythos tales. Contents "Unseen Empire" by Cody Goodfellow *Set in the American Wild West, circa 1900AD, this novella features a half-breed Indian soldier leading an expedition into a cavernous city under the American Plains. "MirroЯRirroM" by D.L. Snell *In modern day Portland, Oregon, USA, a man joins a therapy group only to discover just how weird the Cthulhu Mythos can be when truly embraced. "Nemisis Theory" by Tim Curran's *A convicted fellon discovers that there really is no escape from horrors from beyond when trapped in a maximum security prison. "The R'lyeh Singularity" by David Conyers and Brian M. Sammons' *NSA consultant Harrison Peel teams up with CIA field agent Jordan on a globe espionage adventure to halt the return of the greatest of the Great Old Ones. Category:Anthologies Category:Cthulhu Mythos